


Something New

by firnae



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Original Character(s), Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 13:59:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3731458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firnae/pseuds/firnae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He stood there in the dank cellar, turning the bottle round in his hands. <i>What was he doing?</i> He had never allowed anyone too close before. Friendship was something new, and flirting came naturally, but… he liked Althea. More than he cared to admit. To entertain the idea that they…no. That would not be wise."</p><p>Fulfilling a prompt with fenhawke fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something New

            It had been a long night. Fenris unsheathed the greatsword from his back and placed it on the table. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the weapon. It was going to need polishing, but not tonight. He was exhausted. Mercenary jobs did not come to him often, but when they did, he took them without question.

            Sleep was starting to overcome the elf. He trudged over to his bed in the darkness of the mansion, and with a sigh, he flopped onto the mattress. His head hit the pillow with a _thunk_.

            That was strange. The pillow was hard. Confused, Fenris lifted up the pillow to find… a book? Why was there a book under his pillow?

            Too tired to think straight, he placed the book on the floor next to the bed and rolled over. However it got there, at least he had something new to read. He’d look into it in the morning.

* * *

 

            Fenris sat in front of the fireplace, the light from the flames flickering across the last chapter of the novel. Enthralled in the text, Fenris almost did not hear when Althea Hawke gave a few gentle raps on the doorframe.

            “Oh, hello Hawke. I didn’t hear you,” Fenris said, placing the book down on the table.

            “You didn’t answer the front door, so I let myself in. Reading I see,” Althea said with a small smile. “May I come in?”

            Fenris let out a light chuckle as he gestured to the chair opposite him. “Seeing as you already let yourself through the rest of the house, I don’t see why not.”

            “I try to be polite,” Althea said as she strode across the room and sat down in the chair.

            Fenris studied her for a moment as she got comfortable. The light from the fireplace danced across her features, contouring her face and bringing out the red in her hair. Fenris looked away before she could catch him staring.

            “How is the book?” Althea asked.

            “It’s… interesting,” he replied.

            “Are you having any trouble? Doesn’t seem like it, seeing as you are almost done.” Althea gestured to the book lying open on the table between them.

            “There are a few words here and there, but nothing too troubling.”

            “I’m not surprised. You’re a quick learner.”

            “It helps to have an excellent teacher,” Fenris said with a smirk. Althea blushed and moved her gaze from the elf back to the fireplace.

            An awkward silence fell upon the two. Fenris watched Althea as she fidgeted in her chair. She gently ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face. The light hit it once more.

            Fenris cleared his throat. “Would you…maybe like something to drink?”

            “If it’s not too much trouble,” she replied with a small smile.

            “Then I will be back in a minute.” Fenris rose from his chair and made his way to the cellar to grab a bottle of wine.

            He stood there in the dank cellar, turning the bottle round in his hands. _What was he doing?_ He had never allowed anyone too close before. Friendship was something new, and flirting came naturally, but… he liked Althea. More than he cared to admit. To entertain the idea that they… _no_. That would not be wise.

            But he wanted to.

            With a sigh, Fenris left the cellar and returned upstairs. As he walked back into the room, he saw that Althea was no longer sitting at the table. Confused and slightly disappointed at her absence, he sat the bottle of wine down on the table and looked around. He turned to find Althea caught in the act of hiding a book under his pillow. Surprised and relieved, Fenris let out a hearty laugh.

            “So it was you!”

            Althea shifted from one foot to another, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

            “Is there a reason why you are concealing books beneath my pillow?” Fenris asked, raising an eyebrow.

            “I like surprising people?” Althea nervously rubbed the back of her neck as she looked up at Fenris through the fringe of her hair. “Well, this is…I’ll just…leave now.” Althea made her way to the door.

            Fenris felt something stir inside himself. Something…different. New.

            “Stay.”

            Althea froze. “What?”

            “ _Stay_ ,” he said again. Althea turned to face the elf, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

            Fenris walked over to pick the book up from the table. He could not believe what he was doing.

            “I’m almost finished with the book, but I am having some trouble with a few phrases…” He looked back at the rogue, who was trying to hide her smile.

            “Alright,” she said.

            Disregarding chairs, the two sat on the floor of the mansion, Fenris reading aloud, Althea helping him sound out the more difficult words, the two of them passing the bottle of wine and taking sips in between.

            The light from the fire place began to dim as the night went on, and eventually, Fenris felt the weight of something on his shoulder. He looked up from the last page of the book to find Althea asleep, her face an inch from his. As he gently closed the book, he felt that something stir inside him once more.

            It was…what was the word? Contentment perhaps? Peace? Happiness?

_Love?_

            No, it could not be that. They were friends. It was not a good idea to push farther than that.

            But…

            Fenris lightly brushed a stray piece of Althea’s hair away from her face. Althea shifted and unknowingly burrowed her face into his neck, her hand placing itself against his chest. He didn’t want to move and wake her.

            Fenris closed his eyes. He could not deny his feelings anymore. There was no going back now.

            And whatever he was feeling, he did not want it to go away.

            Never.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from Anonymous on Tumblr: Fenris learns to be vulnerable one inch at a time.  
> I took some liberties and mixed in some of my headcanons. :)


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